The Yankees and Joe Girardi are closing in on a three-year contract that will pay him somewhere between $9 million and $10 million, The Post has learned.

Girardi would receive a bump from a contract that expires Saturday that was paying him $7.5 million over three years. The raise would make Girardi the fifth- or sixth-highest paid manager in the major leagues.

The sides believe the deal could be finalized Wednesday or Thursday.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Joe Girardi as a person. As a manager, to be candid, I’m somewhat disappointed in his performance with the Yankees. I’m not terribly upset with him. And, maybe my disappointment is the result of having the bar set too high for him when he was hired?

In any event, does he deserve to be the “fifth- or sixth-highest paid manager in the major leagues”? Man, I dunno…

Yes, there’s a lot of stuff that the Yankees manager has to deal with, and put up with, that many other managers don’t have to tackle. But, on the flip side, with the Yankees, you get a ton of talent to make your job on the field easier too.

Comments on Yanks/Girardi Near Three-Year Deal

The fifth or sixth highest salary among MLB managers seems right to me. He earned a modest raise by virtue of winning the World Series in 2009 and by getting the team to within two games of the World Series again this year. Beyond that, I don’t see what there is to quarrel with here. It seems fair, even if I’m personally lukewarm on his returning for another three years.

Don’t get wrong. I agree on the years – it makes sense for both sides. And, is acceptable. But, I think the Yankees could have saved themselves 2 or 3 million, overall, on the deal. Then again, what’s two or three mill to the Yankees…unless it’s money that Johnny Damon wanted…

Is this some sort of April fools Joke? Are the Stienbrenner kids just here to rip off the fans? Clueless Joe and Brainless Brian need to go. This was not a good or well thought out team, the excuse of injuries is thin when you have a 200 million dollar payroll. Joe is a horrible manager without stones or a feel for the game and gets out managed at every turn. How this numnutz won a series is a great mystery. Three more years of grandpa Jeter leading off and overrated Tex batting third. It is starting to look like the late 60′s again in Yankee land.

But, I think the Yankees could have saved themselves 2 or 3 million, overall, on the deal

He was being paid $7.5M on his first deal and may make as much as $10M on this new deal. That’s a $2.5M raise. If you agree that he earned a nominal raise, where could the Yankees have saved the $2-3M you’re talking about?

He was being paid $7.5M on his first deal and may make as much as $10M on this new deal. That’s a $2.5M raise. If you agree that he earned a nominal raise, where could the Yankees have saved the $2-3M you’re talking about?

Yeah, I think I blanked out on that one. In my mind, I was thinking “He should only get $2 mill a year – I think that’s what Leyland gets, around there – and he’s getting paid, now, $3.3 mill a year.” And, the difference between the two was $2-3 million. (Hence, my number.) I never thought to see how much he WAS being paid. If it’s $2.5 mill a year, then, yeah, I can see the raise to $3 million making sense.

Is this some sort of April fools Joke? Are the Stienbrenner kids just here to rip off the fans? Clueless Joe and Brainless Brian need to go. This was not a good or well thought out team, the excuse of injuries is thin when you have a 200 million dollar payroll. Joe is a horrible manager without stones or a feel for the game and gets out managed at every turn. How this numnutz won a series is a great mystery. Three more years of grandpa Jeter leading off and overrated Tex batting third. It is starting to look like the late 60′s again in Yankee land.

No offense intended, but this is the line of thinking that causes all other fans to hate us.

Is this some sort of April fools Joke? Are the Stienbrenner kids just here to rip off the fans? Clueless Joe and Brainless Brian need to go. This was not a good or well thought out team, the excuse of injuries is thin when you have a 200 million dollar payroll. Joe is a horrible manager without stones or a feel for the game and gets out managed at every turn. How this numnutz won a series is a great mystery. Three more years of grandpa Jeter leading off and overrated Tex batting third. It is starting to look like the late 60′s again in Yankee land.

I’d be interested in hearing from the group their take on who are the best 5 or 6 managers active in the game today. Mike Scioscia? Terry Francona? Tony LaRussa? Joe Maddon? Ron Gardenhire? Buck Showalter? Any of those guys on anyone’s short list?

@ Jim TreshFan:
I don’t really know who “the best” are, I just know who I think highly of:

Jim Leyland

That’s it. LaRussa, Scioscia and Maddon are woefully overrated in my opinion. That’s not to say they’re bad or that they haven’t had success. It’s just my impression that these guys’ supporters believe they have mythical, mystical qualities. To me, they’re just guys with big egos and good players making them look good.

@ MJ Recanati:
Interesting. Leyland, like Gene Mauch, has a losing record over his career, but is considered a top drawer manager. Neither will make the Hall of course—since Cooperstown is all about winners—but they have something that’s perhaps a bit more important: their reputation.
I guess my one hesitancy over Leyland has to do with the fact that his only championship came with the 1997 Florida Ringers, a team loaded up with 7 or 8 high priced free agents (depending how you’d consider Gary Sheffield’s situation) that were gone by the next summer. Indeed, you might even make a case for Leyland being one of those Ringers himself.

@ Jim TreshFan:
I hear you and completely agree about the ’97 Marlins. To be honest, at the time, it somewhat bothered me that Leyland was a ringer for that Marlins squad.

But over the years, the more I watch him, the more I respect and like him. He’s a straight shooter, a fairly strong tactical manager and not one of these glory/attention-whores like LaRussa or Maddon that just make me crazy.

Outside of Davey Johnson and Bobby Cox, Leyland is the only other manager I’ve really admired and respected in my lifetime with no interruptions.

I don’t mind Leyland with the Marlins. He took advantage of a situation that was presented to him. Can’t fault him for that. Just as well, the only real lasting memories of him were during his time with the Pirates, 3 straight NL East titles (yes boys and girls there was a time where the Pirates were actually good!), and the brouhaha he had with Bonds after Barry wasn’t too happy with losing an arbitration case.